The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1887-10-26

necessary for the priests to hire coolies
to drag the car Is measure Of the cx-
tent to which the destructive solvent
of Western thought is being applied
TO Western creeds- The car Of the
great god of Pooree was one of the
most sacred oiB rahmanic properties"
and the rath jattra, festival which.
in Importance, yielded to that Of no
other duty in the Hindoo Pan hoen.
From every part of the vast empire Of
Hindostan pilgrims flocked TO share in
it, and when the car Of Juggernaut
was dragged once year from the
temple in order 10 battle the gods In
/ the cool water of the tank mile and
half distant the widest enthusiasm
[ seized the vast multitute of devotees.
/ Thousands rushed to seize the cables.
and so eager. were the volunteers for
this holy service that the best and
greatest men Of Orissa struggled with
each other to obtain hold Upon the
ropes. To use the language OF au old
1 writer who witnessed the rath jattra
in its palmy days, .'they are so greedy
i and eager to draw it that whatsoever
by shouldering, crowding, showing,
heaving, thrusting, or in any insolent
way, can but lay a hand upon the rope,
Z they think themselves blessed and
happy. And when it is going along
the city there are many that will offer
themselves as q sacrifice to the IDOL
I and desperately lie down on the ground
that the chariot wheels may run over
Z them, whereby they are killed out
right Some get broken arms. some
broken legs. so that many are de-
stroyed. and think 10 merit Heaven. Z"
At even a later date martyrs to Jug
gcrnaut, or Jagganna'th. as he is more
correctly termed. were not infrequent.
When Francis Buchanan was in Pooree
early in this century, he describes the
harsh grating of the gigantic car as it
moved along. the obscene songs Of the
priests in honor of the god, and the
fierce chances which the fanatics be-
slowed ON the beef-eating Englishmen.
us pilgrim announced himself ready
to become sacrifice to the idol No
ODt Ill., vi w plCFtht piiS
self-immolation. the man Frustrated
himself in the road before the tower Us
it moved along lying on his face with
his arms stretched forward. The null
titude passed around him, leaving the
space clea-, until he was crushed to
death by .ne wheels of the pondcrous
structure. Then wild cry of praise
was raised, and as the god was seen to
smile at the libation of spouting
blood, the devotees threw cowries and
pieces of money on the body of the
victim in appreciation Of the holy deed.
1t is, therefore, suggestive Of a
strange revolution in Hindoo opinion
to hear that not only are victims lack
ing, but that instead of thousands
struggling for the honor of place at
the dragropes, laboring men, at so
many annas per diem. have to be hired
to perform the sacred function. The
awe Of the Indian people for 1.-The Lord
of the world has been declining. For
many years past the fame of the great
god of Orissa has been on the wane,
and the time when a human sacrifice
was deliberately offered up to the
hideous idol is fast getting beyond the
power of the very oldest of old Indians
TO recall. Admitting that the number
of devotees this year is smaller, owning
to the loss Of two pilgrim ships-and
the prophecy that third will be
wrecked before the year is Quit is
undeniable that Jagganna'th is DOOM
ed, aud the wealth which it brought
to the priests and the townspeople Of
Pooree is likely to vanish before many
years elapse. Sometimes u poor
decrept wretch. weary Of life, or
drugged by the priests with Indian
hemp or opium. will wildly throw
himself in front of the wheels. though
he is usually dragged out by the
police. who have orders to prevent
any attempts at suicide Saddcst
abasement of all, from the standpoint
of Brahmanism, it happened few
years ago. for the first time in history,
that to the horror and chargin Of the
! priests, the car of Jagganna't tn stood
still in the streets of Pooree, while the
/ pilgrims looked on in impious apathy.
Yet no harm befell them, although
subsequent famine has been attributed
/ to their sacrilegious carelessness.
However, the result has been, that
though worshipers still come to
Pooree. they just as frequently prefer
10 save themselves the trouble of haul
ing the gods. and, as happened on the
present occasion. the priests afraid of
the idols never reaching the tank, have
contracts with irreverential coolies to
perform the job for a stipulated num-
Der of rupees. Mortality there is, of
course, still. The poor die for want
of food. of disease. and oflack of prop
er accommodations. But there is no
longer any need for interfering. for
the wrong will soon right itself by
Jagganna'th ceasing TO draw" The
East. we fear, is already grown lax in
its religious observances. The pill
grim takes third-cass circular ticket
to the holy places. Iniidel ship-own-
ers issue passages to Djeddah, and a
tourist contractor escorts the faithful
over the forty miles between Mecca
and the sea- The Egyptian dervishes
are becoming extremely chary about
making payment Of their persons for
the Saadeeyeh Sheik TO ride over. and
now that the Indian exchequer is be-
moaning the reduced returns from the
"Jagganna'th trade and coolies
have to be hired to drag the car, we
seem a long way from the time when
Job Charnock factor at Fort William.
was converted to Hindooism. or when
General Stewart engaged a Brahman
10 perform daily worship among the
idols in his bungalow. London Stand
ri
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